Piston-ring-gkoove cleaner



l 6 m k N.. 3 C 0 V m 1 a Y. R r k E M5 mg m% 7. K l mm i Gm L G m In w m Wm k H I F Oct. 19, 1926.

ATTORN EYS Patented Oct. 19, 192%.

siren rare VJALTER L. SLACK, OF KING COUNTY, WASHINGTON.

PISTON-RING-GROOVE CLEANER.

Application filed March 9, 1925.

My invention relates to a tool for use in cleaning out carbon from the bottom and from the side walls of the ring grooves in pistons employed in internal combustion engines. This is a very nec ssary operation previous to installing new piston rings, and as there are several grooves in each piston, and as pistons vary in diameter in different motors, it is essential that a tool for this purpose and intended for general shop use, be quickly engageable with and disengageable from such grooves and readily adjustable for various sizes of grooves and pistons. These, therefore, are the primary objects of my present invention.

A further object is the provision of means whereby the tool, in addition to being readily adjusted for different sizes of pistons, may be adjustable to vary the pressure of the scraping tool upon the bottom of a ring groove.

A further object is the general simplification of such tools, and particularly the simplification and cheapening of its manufacture.

A further object is the provision in such a tool of means whereby a single scraper bar may be employed upon ring grooves of varying widths and may be readily adjusted for such different widths.

My invention comprises those novel parts and combinations thereof which are shown in the accompanying drawings, described in the specification, and particularly defined by the claims terminating the same.

In the accompanying drawings, I have shown my invention in the form which is now preferred by me.

Figure 1 is a view showing the device as it would appear in operation, the tool being shown in side elevation.

Figure 2 is a section on line 22 of Figure 1.

Essentially the tool consists of members which secure a three-point engagement within the ring groove at angularly spaced points, one point of engagement acting as a scraper and the other two preferably functioning merely as guides, in association with a support for the groove-engaging members, and means whereby the engaging points of said members may be contracted upon a piston to press the scraper into the carbon at the bottom of the ring groove, or separated Serial No. 14,072.

sufficiently to allow the piston to be inserted or removed.

As shown herein a scraper bar 1 engages the piston P at one point and a guide 2 is formed with an angled arm 20, whereby it engages a piston placed within the angle at two spaced points. By beveling the inner edges of the guide arms 2 and 20, as shown in Figure 2, it accommodates itself to grooves of varying widths. The bar 1 and the guide 2 are both supported from a handle member 3. This handle member 3 may conveniently be formed of a heavy sheet of metal bent upon itself and secured along its edges and along a central or intermediate line, as indicated at 30 (see Figure 2), by riveting, spot-welding, etc, to form a pair of guidew-ays 81 and 32, extending in the same general direction, substantially but not necessarily parallel to each other. Within the guideway 31 the scraper bar 1 is received, and within the guideway 32 is received the guide 2.

The scraper bar 1 is formed at its ends (and preferably at both corners of each end) with scraper members 10, these preferably being of varying widths to fit ring grooves G of different widths. Between its ends it is formed with one or more notches 11 eX- tending for some distance lengthwise, and when held within its guideway 81 a retaining spring 4 is engaged in one of the notches 11, the handle itself being notched as indicated at 34 to permit access of the retaining spring 4 to the notch 11. The spring 4, it will be understood, is anchored, as at 41, to the handle 3 and may be tensioned by means of a lug 43 struck up from the handle memher at a point between the ends of the spring, and tending to force the spring inward. A compression spring 5 is preferably received within the bottom of the guideway 31, its lower end being closed, and acts upon the scraper bar 1, tending to force it outward, Engagement of the spring 4 with the bottom of the notch 34 prevents accidental removal of the scraper bar from its guideway 81 under the influence of spring 5. By this or equivalent means the scraper bar is yieldingly urged outward toward the bottom of a ring groove when a piston is held by the cooperating guide arms 2 and 20. It will be understood also that any means for retaining the scraper bar 1 in its guideway may be employed, but that the retaining spring 4 is preferred because it permits ready engagement and disengagement of the scraper bar when it is desired to present a different scraper 10 in operative position.

The guide 2 is .suitably movable in its guideway 32. As a means for accomplishing this result I have shown a clamping or control lever 6, pivoted at 86 upon the central portion 30 of the handle and connected through a link 61 pivoted at 60 outward of the pivot 36, and connecting the handle and the guide 2. The lever 6 preferably overlies an edge of the handle 3 and to this end may be formed of a sheet of metal bent into a U-shape and extending about the edge of the handle 30. It is so connected to the guide 2 that as the lever approaches the handle 3 the guide is retracted, that is, it is drawn towards the handle and towards the scraper 1 projecting therefrom.

Preferably the connection between the link 1 and the guide 2 not a direct one, but through an adjustable member. Any suitable adjustment may be provided, but

shown herein a collar 7 is slidable lengthwise of the guide 2 and is retained in posi tion by means of a set screw 71 threaded in the collar and engaging the guide Thus the link 61 is pivoted at (57 upon the collar 7. By adjusting the collar lengthwise of the guide 2, the initial projection thereof relative to the handle 8 and the scraper bar 1 may be determined, and thus the device may beset for pistons of varying diameters, or to apply varying pressures to the scraper 10.

In use the proper scraper 10 is presented in operative position, changing the position of the scraper bar 1 in its guideway 81 edge for edge or end for 01K as may be necessary. This changing of the scraper bar 1 is secured by releasing the retaining spring {l and then withdrawing the bar 1; after properly positioning the bar 1 it is reinserted past the spring l, which then reengages in a notch 11 to limit the projection of the scraper bar. The tool is then presented to the piston, which would ordinarily be held in a vise, with the clamping lever 6tl1rown inward against the handle. The guide 2 would then be adjusted in the collar 7 to bring the guide into engagement with the bottom of the ring groove, at the same time that the scraper 10 to be employed is likewise engaged with the bottom of the ring groove, and the guide 2 is drawn inward through the collar 7 to an extent sufiicient to place the spring 5 under some compression. The set screw 71 is then tightened, fixing the parts in position. The clamping lever 6 may then be thrown outward from the handle 3, which draws the guide 2 and 20 away from the scraper 10, to permit the piston to be released freely.

In operative position the scraper 10, backed by the spring 5, yields and the compression of the spring 5 urges the scraper toward the bottom of the ring groove. New, by rotating the tool about the piston the carbon is removed with one or two turns, whereupon the lever 6 may be thrown outward, projecting outward the guide 20 as shown in dotted lines in Figure 1, and the tool may be freely disengaged from the piston, but is in position ready for engagement with the next groove of the same sized piston.

In the initial adjustment of the guide 2 within the collar 7, care must be taken that the spring pressure upon the scraper 10 is not suilicient to cause it to cut into the metal of the piston, yet the guide arm 2 must be able to move far enough, when the lever (3 is thrown outward, to clear the piston and 5! permit removal of the tool without forcing and preferably without engagement of either the scraper or guide arm. This is conveniently arranged by spacing the pivots 36 and (30 far enough apart to give su'l'licient throw to the guide, for the movement permitted the clamping lever (3.

ll hat I claim as my invention is:

1. A tool of the class described comprising a handle having a. pair of substantially parallel guideways therein, a scraper rcccivable in one of said guidewa ys and engageable in ring groove, a bar having one end .slidable in the second guideway and its other end. bentto form a f-shaped head adapted to engage the piston ring groove at two separated points, and means controlling approach. and separation of the bent end of said bar and the scraper.

2. A tool of the class described comprising a handle having a pair of substantially parallel guideways therein, a scraper receivable in one of said guideways, a bar bent to form a V-shaped head and with one arm slidable in the second guideway and cooperating with said scraper to engage the piston ring groove at three angularly spaced points, means controlling the projection and retraction of said bar, and means interposed between said bar and its control means for adjusting the initial position of the V-head relative to the scraper.

3. A tool of the class described co1nprising a handle having a pair of substantially parallel guideways therein, a scraper reciprocally and yieldingly held in one oi said guideways, a bar having one end bent to form a V-head, one arm thereof being slidably mounted in the second guideway, the V-head cooperating with said scraper to en gage the piston rlng groove at three angularly spaced points, a clamping lever pivoted upon said handle, and a link connecting said \/head and clamping lever to control the projection and retraction of the said head.

Hill

4. A tool of the class described comprising a handle having a pair of substantially parallel guideways therein, a scraper mounted in one of said guideways, a bar mounted to slide in the other guideway and having its outer end bent to form a V-head, said head cooperating with said scraper to engage the piston ring groove at three angularly spaced points, a collar adjustable lengthwise of said sliding bar, and means movable through a constant distance and connected to said collar for controlling the projection and re traction of the V-head, and a yieldable device between said scraper and said grooveengaging head.

5. A tool of the class described comprising a handle having a pair of substantially parallel guideways therein, ascraper held in one of said guideways, a bar having one end slidable in the second guidewa-y and its other end bent to form a V-head, said head cooperating with said scraper to engage the piston ring groove at three angularly spaced points, a collar adjustable lengthwise of said bar, a clamping lever pivoted upon said handle, and a link connecting said clamping lever and said collar to control the projection and retraction of said bar.

6. A tool of the class described comprising a handle having a guideway, a bar notched on its side and formed at each end as a scraper, and slidably received in said guideway, a guide supported from said-handle and engaging the piston ring groove at two angularly separated points, a spring in said guideway engaging said bar to urge it outward, and a retaining spring engageable'avith the notch in said bar to hold it within the guideway, the guideway being notched to receive the operative portion of said retaining spring.

7. A tool of the class described comprising a handle formed of a sheet of metal bent upon itself and connected at its sides and along an intermediate line to form two guideways extending in the same general direction, an angled guide slidably received in one guideway, a control lever pivoted upon the central portion of said handle and overlying an edge thereof, a link connecting said lever, outwardly of its pivot, with said head being guide to retract the guide as the lever approaches the handle, a scraper bar slidably received in said second guideway, and a spring yieldingly urging said scraper bar outwardly towards said guide.

8. A tool of the class described comprising a handle having a pair of guideways therein, a tool held in one of said guideways and projecting therefrom, a bar having one end bent to form a V-head, one arm thereof being slidably mounted in the second guideway, the V-head cooperating with the tool to engage the piston ring groove at three angularly spaced points, means for controlling the approach and separation of said arm and tool into and from groove-engaging position, and a yieldable connection between said arm and tool.

9. A tool of the class described comprising a handle having a guideway therein, a bar having one end bent to form a V-head, one arm thereof being slidably mounted in said guideway, a tool supported in said handle adjacent the guideway, the V- movable towards said tool, and the tool cooperating therewith to engage the piston ring groove at three an gularly spaced points, means for controlling the approach and separation of said arm and tool into and from groove engaging position, and ayieldable connection between said arm and tool.

10. A tool of the class described comprising a handle having a guideway therein, a bar having one end bent to form a V-head, one arm thereof being slidably mounted in said guideway, a tool supported in said handle adjacent the guideway, the V-head being movable towards said tool, and the tool cooperating therewith to engage the piston ring groove at three angularly spaced points, the tool being spaced less than 180 from the point next in advance thereof, in the direction of rotation of the tool, means for controlling the approach and separation of said arm and tool into and fro1ngroove engaging position, and a yieldable connection between said arm and tool.

Signed at Seattle, ington this 4th day of March 1925.

WALTER L. SLACK.

King County, lVash- 

